Autumn in New York
by SunshineInSpring
Summary: Pre-Mondler, very early Season One. In which Rachel's reappearance into Monica's life, combined with Paul the Wine Guy, isn't really conducive to Monica being very okay. Or, Chandler is better at this whole comforting thing than he thinks he is.


**A/N: Hello! I'm back! Thank you all so much for the lovely reviews on How High the Moon, they really mean a lot, and inspire me to keep writing. This is a bit different, it's set very early season 1 (I've just started re-watching the entire show from the beginning and there are so many pre-Mondler moments that I didn't even notice before!), just after the first episode I would say. It's pre-Mondler, but I've always felt that right from the start it's never been just friendship between those two. I also wanted to address Monica's feelings on the subject of Rachel just appearing back into her life, as this was very much just breezed over on the show. Disclaimers; I don't own FRIENDS, nor do I own Autumn In New York, the song that this borrows it's title from. Again, it's another Ella Fitzgerald song. Because apparently, I can't write FRIENDS fanfiction that isn't inspired by Ella Fitzgerald songs. Hey ho. Enjoy!**

 **Autumn In New York**

The gathering dusk crept over the buildings, casting long shadows over the crowds still bustling on the street below. The trees that lined the middle of the busy streets glowed copper in the evening sun, autumn rusting the leaves that had, until a few weeks prior, been vibrant green. The woman on the balcony a few stories up from the throngs of commuters, tourists and residents alike leaned out slightly, resting her elbows on the metal railing, placing her chin in her cupped hands. Eyes closed, and a peaceful expression adoring her features, she looked, to all the world, as though she were asleep standing up.

"You okay Mon?" Monica jumped at the intrusion into her previously peaceful moment of reflection. Chandler clambered out onto the balcony to join her, hissing slightly as he caught his elbow on the window frame, eliciting a reluctant smirk from Monica. Chandler allowed himself a private smile at that, as Monica turned back toward the row of buildings opposite. She nodded slowly in response to his earlier question as she did, though she was honestly unsure if that were true.

Chandler clearly agreed, as he let out a little huff of air, and pulled her sideways into a hug. "Y'know, it's okay not to be okay, Mon." Monica nodded against his chest, and he continued, running a hand down the length of her arm, trying to frame his words in the best, least Chandler-esque way he could. "It's been a hell of a couple of days; Rachel coming back into your life, that jerk Paul. You really don't have to be okay."

Monica took a steadying breath, bracing her hands against his jacketed chest and pulled her head up enough to look him in the eye. "Yeah, yeah, I know. It's just- Rachel coming back. Well- just reminds me of childhood I guess. Not really a time I like to wallow in you know?"

He nodded- of course he knew. He knew Monica's childhood had been eerily similar to his own- minus parents divorcing at nine, an erotic-novelist mother and a father who abandoned his son to follow his own dreams in Las Vegas. No, both of them had suffered a lack of love, and a struggle to earn any sort of attention or affection from their parents. Monica's parents being around hadn't lessened the pain, instead, he thought absently, as Monica continued to ramble about the many times Rachel had abandoned her to do her own thing as teenagers, her parents showering Ross with love and praise whilst ignoring her had probably been worse than them not being around at all. At least he could just say his parents didn't really want to be parents. Monica's had deliberately favoured Ross.

He tuned back in to Monica's diatribe as it came to a close; "But instead of helping me, she just went off and slept with Billy Dreskin! Because of course she did! And now she just comes back into my life, and expects me to drop everything to help her? She didn't even ask if she could move in! Just expects that I would be okay with it! And how long is she gonna stay for? Am I going to come home one day and find her gone?"

Her voice cracked slightly here, and Chandler tightened his arms around her, knowing she was remembering the events of a year ago, when Phoebe had moved out without telling her. Though Monica had moved on, and she and Phoebe were still friends, Chandler knew how utterly torn up she had been by the whole thing. He honestly didn't think that he had forgiven Phoebe for that, even if Monica had. "She just hasn't really changed, you know?" Monica finished softly, resting her head back against his shoulder.

Chandler nodded thoughtfully. "Have I met her before?" He asked eventually, causing Monica to look up in surprise, not expecting that he would have forgotten, and having been too preoccupied to have noticed earlier. "I feel like I have, but it must have been years ago and-"

Monica interjected. "Yeah! A couple Thanksgivings- including the first time we met- we visited you and Ross at college, and last year at the bar? You must remember, Chandler!"

Chandler's brow furrowed, and Monica smiled softly at how adorable he looked, confused like that.

"Did she used to have a huge nose?" And just like that, the moment had gone. "Oh God! I tried to hit on her in the bar last year! I'd got no idea who it was, it had been years since I last saw her! Oh, and I believe," he continued, a smirk lifting the corners of his mouth, "I believe you owe me ten bucks!"

Monica laughed- only he could forget someone entirely, try to hit on them in a bar, forget them again, and then end up living across the hall from them. It was so completely, absolutely Chandler. "Yeah, but she had it reduced by the second Thanksgiving, remember? I wouldn't bring it up if you want to live though. And, oh, shut up!" She flailed, attempting to reason her way out of paying him the ten dollars she now apparently owed him.

He laughed at the irritation which flashed briefly across her cobalt eyes. Another private smile graced his lips when she gave up trying to prove her point, and turned back to look over the darkening (though still busy) city.

Autumn had lent a slight chill to the air in recent days, and as Monica braced herself against it, Chandler, catching the movement, shrugged out of his jacket and draped it around her shoulders. An unexpected warmth touched his heart when he saw how utterly adorable she looked, engulfed in his jacket- though he would never voice those particular thoughts aloud.

"She really hurt you, didn't she Mon?" It was, he thought, none too modestly, one of his more astute observations, and one that, in strange way he was rather proud of. It was a feeling similar to that which he got when she laughed at one of his more obscure wisecracks. The pride of being close enough friends with Monica Geller to have private jokes. To make astute observations. After all, he was one of the only people there when Monica and Rachel had drifted apart. They hadn't known Joey or Phoebe yet, and not even Kip- Monica's ex-boyfriend and his ex-roommate- had been on the scene that early in their friendship. Ross had, naturally, as it was through him they had both met, though at the time he was besotted by Carol, whom he had just begun dating.

God- it all seemed a lifetime ago.

If it hadn't been for Rachel and Monica losing touch, though, he doubted if he would have ever gotten to be as close friends with the latter as he had. And, if he was being honest with himself (though he rarely did- it was far too painful to do regularly), that was not a possibility he wanted to consider for very long.

Monica's voice snapped him out of his reverie, and he returned his attention to her. "Yeah, she did, but people just lose touch sometimes, and that's okay. I'm well over that." Well, Chandler thought, resting his forearms against the railing beside hers, there went his astute observations. "Thanks mostly to you, Chandler." Eh- who cared about being astute anyway?

He shrugged carefully, mumbling acceptance of her gratitude, to which Monica rolled her eyes and nudged his shoulder against hers.

"I guess I'm not that okay after all." She eventually murmured, turning away from the buildings opposite, and glancing up at Chandler. The faint light left over from the day cast a glow over her face, and Chandler was surprised by the intensity of the clench in his heart when he saw the tears glimmering in her eyes.

Usually crying women elicited an instinct for him to run for the hills, and never look back, not (as he felt himself doing for the second time that night) to wrap his arms around her, in a way he hadn't since Phoebe had moved out a year ago. Huh. Maybe this was just a Monica-induced instinct. God knew he had never wanted to hold Janice, for instance, like this – and he'd dated her!

"Hey, Rachel's got a job now, Mon. And she's moved all her stuff in- she seems pretty set on staying. I don't think she'll just walk out, Mon. It'd take her about ten years to box all her clothes back up!"

Monica's little huff of laughter into his chest encouraged Chandler to keep going, rather proud of himself.

"I can't promise it'll all be fine, Mon, I wish I could, but I can't. But, whatever happens, I'm only ever gonna be across the hall, or in your apartment, trying to stop Joey eating everything you own. You know that, right?"

It wasn't eloquent, nor especially meaningful on the surface, but he hoped Monica would catch what was hidden deeper, beneath his words. The promise to always be her friend, confidante, was all he could offer, but hopefully she would accept it for what it was.

Monica gazed thoughtfully up at him, then raised herself onto her tiptoes and pressed a lingering kiss against his cheek. "Yeah," she agreed softly, returning to her original position, tucked in his arms. "Yeah I do, Chandler. And you know, even if Rachel does end up staying? You'll always be my best friend." He pressed his lips briefly to her hair in thanks.

"About those ten dollars then." Monica laughed in surprise at the sudden change in topic. "I'd settle for the confirmation that those are yours?" He said hopefully, gesturing at the underwear on the telegraph pole, where they had been for a good three months.

Monica laughed again. "Yeah, yeah alright, they are." It was said with a note of triumph in her voice, and as Chandler looked down in surprise, expecting to have met with more resistance, she smirked proudly. "But you tell anyone, and your third nipple? No longer our secret."

He laughed in response, tightening his arms around her again, as she leaned her head back to rest on his chest once more. "Deal."

 **A/N: Well, there you have it! I hope you enjoyed this little season one, pre-Mondler snippet. I tried to tie up some loose ends here too, such as how Chandler apparently meets Rachel many, many times before the show started, but doesn't seem to recognise her in the first episode?! Anyway, let me know what you thought with a review, and if you haven't, please check out my other FRIENDS fanfics (Mondler of course). Bye for now!**


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